Personally I strongly believe that Where and How a kitten is raised will have much more effect on his or her personality that if it is male or female. If they have had the time and effort put into them when they are little and have been handled regularly they are bound to be very affectionate and love your company which is what the Burmese breed is all about.

If a kitten is raised in a cattery down the back of the property how much time is the breeder going to have spent with them? Are they the type of breeder that is just going to go in feed and change the litter tray once a day? Are the kittens going to be used to "House" noises such as the TV, the Radio, the door bell, people talking and walking past and every cats worst nightmare - THE VACUUM?

I always have a bit of a giggle when people come and choose one chocolate male out of a litter that has 3 other chocolate male kittens purely because the kitten they have chosen is the most affectionate or the most playful or the quite one..... Kittens are like people they aren't playful all the time and they certainly aren't quite all the time. Chances are that the kitten that is the most playful during your visit may be the "quiet one" an hour later when someone else is visiting as he/she has worn himself out but by then another kitten will probably have taken over the "Playful" role. In general...If all the kittens in the litter are well socialized, happy to be held, healthy and playful (read the Tips for buying a kitten for further suggestions) no matter what kitten you get you will probably have a gorgeous kitten - as I said above ...

WHERE & HOW A KITTEN IS RAISED IS GOING TO MAKE THE LONG TERM DIFFERENCE!

Keep in mind there are always exceptions to every rule but as a very general guide here is one of the best descriptions I have found to describe the Burmese Male v's Female PURRsonality.....

The females tend to request center stage and take an active role in ruling the household. The males prefer to supervise from the lap position, are more laid back and less opinionated.

One of the big misconseptions about male cats is that they will spray or mark their territory. This is not necessarily the case and female cats can spray too. I think that the age the kitten is desexed is a major factor in this behaviour. A cat is possibly more likely to spray if it is desexed to young (Under 8 weeks) or too old (after it has reached sexual maturity and is already marking its territory).

We, along with most vets recommend that a kitten be desexed somewhere between the ages of 10 weeks - 6 months. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule and your vet will recommend what is best in your situation. At 3-6 months your kitten has had its hormones which play a major part in personality and growth development and they should also be strong enough and big enough to endure as operation like desexing (Neutering for boys and Spaying for the girls). Just like people, kittens bounce back from surgery surprisingly quickly.

Although it is rare - Please note that kittens can die under anesthetic for this reason we strongly recommend that Ketamine IS NOT used for the desexing of Burmese of any age!

When entire, sexually mature cats are naturally territorial and defensive and consequently mark their territory by spraying strong smelling urine on objects and walls that they think of as “their” space. After desexing there are very few differences between males and females usually.

Depending on the breed of cat their may be slight differences but I strongly believe that where and how a kitten is raised will have more impact on the kitten/cats personality in the long run than if it is a boy or a girl.

For most breeds of cat - Boys are generally a little bigger than the females. You will find them to be a little heavier, stockier and generally more full in the body. I also find that sometimes females are slightly more independent than the males so a female Burmese is possibly better for people that aren’t home all the time.

The differences are only tiny and I often describe it as being that a male Burmese will be happy to sit on your lap 23 hours a day where as a female would probably sit there for 22 hours a day. Obviously this is slightly exaggerated but it gives you the idea.....

Please see our “Tips for buying a kitten” link that is on the home page of our web site under the 'RESOURCES' Menu for further information on what to look for when buying a cat or kitten.

Suchi is a registered breeder with the New South Wales Cat Fanciers' Association Incorporated. Lic No 125232.All information, photographs and graphics on this site are copyrighted 2004 by Catatonia. No warranty is proved for any omission, inaccuracy or otherwise of any of the data, information or opinions included in this site whatsoever. Independent professional advice is advised, particularly with concern to medical matters.